LADIES’ GOSSIP.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIII, Issue 10566, 28 January 1895, Page 2

LADIES’ GOSSIP.

(Canterbury Times.) “ Get health,” says Emerson, in one of those wonderfully packed and loaded essays of his, “ Gat health, or nothing under tho sun will have any value for you.” And it is one of the characteristics of the present day that the physical needs of women particularly, are being studied on all sides. Large as the subject is, and full of ramifications as it seems to be, most doctors agree that the greater number of women’s ailments and diseases are due to the want of rest, mental as well as physical. A lady doctor who has given much attention to the subject, says that many women over-tax their memories with trifles. They try to remember too many things, and make an effort to carry in their mind all kinds of small necessities, engagements, measures, petty duties and details that would be quite aa well haad.d over to tho safe keeping of paper and pencil. A man never attempts to burden his mind with such details—the notebook does it for him. A tiny diaiy, ono less than four inches long and two and a hair inches wide is the best for the purpose. There should he a page for every day in the year, and also pages for memoranda, where addresses or any such notea can bo made, while errands or engagements for a certain day can be put down on the page where they belong. When the errand is done or tho engagement kept, a line is drawn through tho memorandum. At night, this artificial memory should be reviewed. Anything forgotten is then transferred to the next page and marked off on the original pages by little crosses instead of straight Hues. Thus, nothing is left uathought of, and the work of each day,, is roughly blocked out in advance, while unnecessary self-control and selfdenial can ba effectually banished. The advancement of physical culture is a question that is attracting much notice at present, and there remain now but few people who are not thoroughly alive to the impossibility of enjoying the mens sana without tho corpus samm. But perhaps there is no part of the world where physical exercises are considered so important as in America, the home of tho Dolsarte and other equally good methods of training muscle and limb into beauty and strength. And from the same place cornea news of a woman’s invention of a new gymnastic apparatus that must prove a decided boon not only to pupils but to teachers also. It -is a musical dumb-bell, rather a misnomer, by-the-way, for like the maiden of happy nursery rhyme', “ it makes music wherever it goes.” It is described as being full of delight for children, who, as everyone knows, love anything that makes a noise, and when this noise is harmonious at tho same time their delight is manifest in face, voice apd in the spirit with which the drill is carried out. Each instrument consists of four highly finished and nickellad bells, connected by a polished wooden handle of the usual form for a dumb-bell. The bells have a clear, sweet note that is very pleasing, and particularly so when used by a number of pupils at a time. The peculiar value of the musical bell is this it makes necessary a sharp, energetic 5 action so as to produce the sotmd at the end of each moment. This action forcibly exercises the muscles, and hardens them.

A lady, who ia a perfect enthusiast on the subject of these musical drills, says that the pleasure they bring to the children is full of importance. She has originated several series of set exercises, of 'which, the following is one that can easily be practised at homo : —The position is—heels together, with the feet forming a right angle, the hands at side of the chest, holding the bells in a perpendicular position. . If tho exercises have piano accompaniment, waltzes and simple, lively marches will be found best. In one exercise, on tho first beat, stamp the left foot and thrust tho bolls down; on the unaccented beat, stamp tho right foot and bring the bells back to the original position. On the second accented boat stamp the left foot and strike out horizontally to tho side with , both arms, and on the unaccented beat, stamp with the right foot and bring the arms back to the first position.

At last we are promised that ideal for foot comfort, the seamless stocking, and I am sure that most of my readers will hail tho announcement with joy. Great improvements have, no doubt, been made in the shape and seaming of our foot-gear, hut something still remains to bo done before the perfect stocking will be arrived at. A good deal depends on the size of the stockings worn, for if ever so little too large or too small the result is harmful. If too short, tho toes are cramped up and deprived of tho little freedom remaining to them inside the shoe. If on. the otherhand, tho stocking ia too loose, it folds over, or makes a crease, and ia then a most painful footgear. Very often, too, stockings of different makes vary much in size, even ia the earns numbers, and tills applies to the inetep measurements, as wall as to the length of the foot. “ The influence of woman in politics,” ia a subject that has been fruitful of much discussion, among us during the past few years, and of all the truths uttered on the subject by those who were qualified to speak, perhaps tho best summary is contained in the speech of a politician at a Chamber of Commerce dinner given recently in New York Women,” ho said, “sometimes criticise that which they recognise as already accomplished, and their criticisms are almost always just, for woman is tho conscience of the world, and the heart of the world besides; but now that the inspirational force of woman has got to come into civic contest?, I don’t care whether it is with that ballot or without. The band th&t governo the ballot is to be the hand of woman, whether it is cast by herself or cast by her husband. Her work will be tho noblest she has ever been called to in the world when she gives her power to the education, moral, social, mental and political, of a great municipality like this, a city with millions of people ia it.” Ono of these handsome linen embroidered lunch or tea scarfs has a deep panel of gold silk overdrawn work, with a border of the same design. A centre piece for tho table, suitable for a flower stand, ia embroidered with a very delicate floral and leaf pattern in pale green, end ornamented with a spschtal border A very handsome lunch cloth has a hemstitched border and three deep rows of drawn work inside of which i? a gorgeous wreath of waving grains and flowers, forming almost a complete circle around the centre of the cloth. The wreath is in silk embroidery.

and while the colour is in shaded green tints and extremely delicate, the design is very bold and handsome. Another beautiful effect is of brocaded linen, with a heavy knotted fringe border. While the centre is absolutely plain, the part forming the drapery for the table has a heavy broche border in a running vine pattern, the leaves of which are of bright green and the flowers of deep violet, combining to form a really gorgeous effect. The upright piano, when moved out into the room, is not always a “ thing of beauty and of joy ” to the artistic eye of its owner; but, perhaps, only a shade uglier or more tasteless than its bare back is the festooned drape of liberty muslin that is so often seen. Nothing more inartistic could bo perpetrated. If the room permits, a pretty screen will make an effective and purposeful substitute for the drape. If, however, this is not at hand, a plain soft curtain of some dull, tint, and of a thick unruatling fabric, will have a vary restful and therefore satisfying effect. It is desirable that this should form one aide of a nook that is completed with & screen, an angle of the wall or the projecting part of a fireplace. Then with a low bench or settle, also upholstered and piled with plenty of pillows, a cosy corner is formed, in which the draped piano seems to find a cause of being. One has heard of backology or the science of telling character from the back, but aurology is a comparatively new science. A lady of great observational powers has been going about taking notes as to the ears of different people. She says that is certain that the oars are very sensitive indicators of character, bub why she should go to the eats especially when she has such, features as the mouth and eyes as indicators of character is not easy to understand. However, she is working out her theory as to the ears. She confesses that she is still at the A B C of the science, and baa not yet been able to arrange her notes, or to formulate a fixed set of rules so as to read character by the size, shape and convolutions of those funny little head-handies of ours. So far she has directed her studies chiefly to the top or apex of the ear. “ There’s a whole world of tell-tale indications there,” she says, “and it would be & good thing if young girls wore to form the habit of casting a glance at that part of the anatomy of their callers and admirers, and making a mental note for their own guidance by what they sao there. If the top of the ear lies close to the head and the ridge is straight or only gently ronnded, the young man that owns that kind of ear may be counted on as being eminently proper and as harmless as a lamb. But if the top starts away from the head at a well-defined angle, and runs up to a point before turning down to become the back ridge of the ear—well, that young man had bettor be kept at a safe distance. That’s the faun ear, the satyr ear, and the man who owns such an appendage is not by any means a desirable person to know.